ABSTRACT

This paper provides a summary of work focusing on values. Values are seen as an underlying aspect of behavior, and the dynamics between and individuals inherited value system and societal and cultural norms are seen as potential areas of conflict or agreement. Since values have energy, as does conflict, an attempt to shape or maximize value coherence is the goal. The goal cannot be achieved, however, unless some understanding of chaotic systems is included, and the value structure is described in these terms. Copying with chaos and the possibility that Nature may have some say in the outcome summarizes next steps.

INTRODUCTION

The ability to get organizations to think and work smarter, to improve overall organizational performance, is the focus of much of our attention and research. Many organizations are struggling to find the best path to accomplish this goal. Skills assessment is used by nearly two-thirds of organizations, but the American Management Association (AMA) recently published results of a survey indicting that nearly half (48.1%) of organizations also use some sort of psychological measurement to assess individual abilities and behaviors . We are becoming clearer that skill matching is not the only issue in an efficient and productive workplace.

Another issue is that the workplace is becoming more complex. Rapid advances in information technology (IT), in particular, have impacted the way virtually all businesses do business . How does our increasing focus on behavioral issues relate to organizational complexity? The answer is that the latter places increasing pressures on the former, and evolution has a voice in how it all works out. In the meantime, however, there are techniques we can use to improve the odds and these techniques focus on individual and organizational values.

Fostering and selecting for those values that maximize an organization’s ability to live near chaos is becoming an organizational necessity as our world evolves. This paper suggests that there is a methodology for values quantification and that this application is essential in today’s complex workplace.

FIGURE 1: VALUE DYNAMICS: a graphic representation of value dynamics within the organization .

Figure 1 is meant to represent the point at which value judgments are made (the "Decision" point or Nexus), and the value factors in operation upon that decision point. Although the figure shows numerous points of interaction and reaction, it is an extremely simplified representation of the complexity involved.

In figure 1, the individual is seen as being acted upon by their genetic inheritance of a value system. This hereditary foundation, however, is manipulated from birth by familial, social, religious, and cultural norms. These norms (the agreed upon values of a particular group), sit at the conscious and subconscious cognitive level and compete for and against the hereditary value system of the individual. These come to the fore when decisions must be made.

If we can measure values operating at the nexus point (figure 1), then we can get pretty close to pinpointing those things that are of value to an individual. The same should be true for the organization and individual sub-organizational units if we accept the idea that the "norms" or operative value systems of each of these groups is the operative aggregate of the key members of those groups. Therefore conflict or compliance between and individual and his or her organization at the decision point should be measurable and knowable.

ENERGY (VALUE) SHAPING

It is an interesting argument as to whether values are genetic or socially derived. And, while it is impossible (at this point in time) to prove one or the other, it is an important concept to explore. In an earlier work, I put forth the idea that values have remained the same throughout recorded history . If they are, in fact, biological in origin and evolve through natural selection, it is not difficult to logically explain the possible selective advantage of the 92 values identified.

Some argue that the environment effects values by permitting or denying their expression . The example of a woman born in the late nineteenth century who has a passion for learning is a good example. Typically, her desire for learning would not be endorsed by the environment in which she lived. Rather, the opposite would be true.

The environment has a lot to do with the shaping of values. In addition, if values are sources of energy, then shaping values will have an effect on that energy. In the example of the nineteenth century woman mentioned above, if her environment denied her access to the learning she valued, a number of options were available. She could say and do nothing and accept the role society had placed upon her. She could take a minimal learning approach, and garner information where possible – a possible irritant to society, but not a major problem. Another alternative would be to attack or go around the system – George Sand for example. The value writer Amandine-Aurore-Lucile (Lucie) Dudevant had for learning and being herself pushed her into action.

We can learn from these lessons by learning how to provide positive paths for value expression in the workplace. The importance of values in the workplace is not a new idea . Vroom approached the concept as part of "organizational fit" , but it is more than fit. The idealistic situation where the individual and the organizational share the same set of values enhances performance and satisfaction at all levels.  

CHAOTIC SYSTEMS

The metaphor of organizations being in chaos has been around a very long time. "Chaos," in this context, most frequently meant confusion and unpredictability. However, the term is now taking on new meanings due to significant work in social systems as chaotic systems . Most, however, still use the term metaphorically, frequently referencing chaotic system’s sensitive dependence on initial conditions.

Social systems, however, are not just chaotic metaphorically. They are frequently chaotic in actual fact. Their real dependence on very small conditions, the extreme complexity of the systems involved, their complete unpredictability at some stages, defines them as chaotic. However, not all social systems are chaotic, nor are those that demonstrate chaotic behavior always chaotic. Organizations exist along a continuum from ultrastable to chaotic. It is at the chaotic stage where organizational transformation takes place.

COPING WITH CHAOS

If one can accept that fact that social organizations have measurable dynamics similar to physical systems, then we can begin to understand that social and physical systems are not so completely dissimilar. Within social systems, values form a hierarchical complexity that underlies the behavior of both the individual and the organizational system much as the periodic table of elements underlies the behavior of physical systems.

From research, we have been able to describe ninety-two specific values that cross all cultures and both genders which is referred to as The Periodic Table of Behavior . The hierarchy of these values has been generally outlined by Maslow, and it is not difficult to see the increasing complexity of values the underlie the hierarchy (. The largest difficulty (and the basis for future research) is understanding the interrelationships between these complex layers of values since value decisions are rarely based on a single value.

From an organizational standpoint, however, it is not essential that we understand the physics of the reactions. We simply need to know the elements that are at play. By being able to both identify the values that are active and the strength of those values, we can map potential areas of conflict. Performed over a period of time, we can map an organization’s position on the pathway between ultrastable and chaotic. This type of value mapping does not allow us the ability to predict future states, but it allows us to picture current states as well as get an idea of direction. When done over a period of time, we can begin to visualize the organizational dynamic.

In one case study, this was exactly what was done . Studying a group of individuals working on the same project for five years provided information on their individual underlying values. In addition, we were able to see and measure potential areas of conflict and remove the conflict. Individuals could also have been removed, but that was not necessary in this project. By performing value studies at the beginning, middle, and end of the five-year project, we were also able to get a coherent picture of the dynamics of the internal organization of thirty people in relation to the larger parent organization.

One of the most interesting aspects of this five-year study was the relationship of the study group to the parent organization. The study group was quite homogeneous and stable while the parent organization was experiencing significant difficulties near the edge of chaos. The research interest in this study group was primarily to validate values mapping as a tool. However, our continued interest in pulling organizations away from chaos ("destochastization") also received some attention.

NEXT STEPS

Understanding that values are knowable, definable, and quantifiable provides some interesting tools within the area of human resources and human performance improvement. By actively selecting those values best suited for specific types of activities, an organization may see significant improvement in overall performance. This approach, however, causes us to redefine the work environment in that certain positions may have shifting value needs. For example, in the case study mentioned above, the study group was chosen for values that let them work comfortably in broad, horizontal playing fields. In the eventual maintenance group, however, more classical information technology values around structure and control – more vertical values – were more appropriate. The same group that drove the project the first five years was the wrong group for the maintenance of the system.

One related question that cannot be directly answer is, "is Nature doing some value selection for us?" We can select for those individuals who best fit specific work circumstances, but we have also introduced a new level of complexity in our lives in the form of information technology. Recent examples have demonstrated the high rate of "burn out" with those who are deeply seated in this profession . We are trying to adapt, but we are not being very successful. Successful IT organizations accept the high burn out as a cost of doing business. But what if – for some – there is an evolution in the values that underlie our behavior. We could see individuals who actually thrive on complexity. This could be the next evolutionary step working at the edge of chaos.

1. Allport, G. W. and P. E. Vernon (1931). A Study of Values: A Scale for Measuring the Dominant Interests in Personality. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company.